Malfurion Stormrage
Malfurion Stormrage is the greatest druid ever to live, and arguably one of the most powerful beings in history. =Summary= * Night Elf * Twin Brother of Illidan Stormrage. * Lover and beloved of Tyrande Whisperwind. * Renewed the practice of druidism among the Night Elves after tutelage from the demi-god Cenarius. * Helped destroy Queen Azshara's portal and Well of Eternity and during the first invasion of the Burning Legion with the help of the Cenarius and Tyrande. * Imprisoned Illidan to be guarded by Maiev Shadowsong and her wardens for creating the new Well of Eternity, but couldn't bring himself to kill him. * Became Arch Druid of the Night Elves. * He fought against the Burning Legion a second time after being awakened from the Emerald Dream by Tyrande. * Performed the ritual that destroyed Archimonde and the first World Tree at the Battle of Mount Hyjal. * Befriended the tauren Hamuul Runetotem, imparting his knowledge of druidism to Hamuul. Before this there had not been a tauren druid in almost twenty generations. Hamuul went on to teach what he had learned to many other tauren, and became the first tauren ever accepted into the Cenarion Circle. * He first appeared in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (Eternity's End) and subsequently appeared in The Frozen Throne (Terror of the Tides) and the War of the Ancients trilogy. * Refered to by the title Shan'do. * 'Malfurion' is often shortened to 'Furion'. Personality Stalwart, wise and righteous are the words that best describe Shan'do Stormrage. He is set in his path of safeguarding his beloved forests and the sanctity of life on Azeroth. Malfurion's burden is a hard one to shoulder; he must safeguard both the forests of Kalimdor and the Emerald Dream, a nearly impossible task. Furion must sometimes be reminded that others may help him shoulder the burden- Cenarius was his teacher and the other Druids and Ancients are more than willing to aid their Shan'do. The one thing Malfurion loves above nature and life is Tyrande, his beloved- to live without her is not to live at all. =Lore (Story)= The War of the Ancients Malfurion was the most dedicated of Cenarius' disciples. In the ancient world before the Sundering, Furion was a respected scholar loyal to his beloved Queen Azshara. He was among the first to notice the distance Azshara and her followers were keeping from their people, and he began to suspect that the powers granted by the Well of Eternity were not as pure as all had believed. Though he could not possibly fathom what was soon to come, Furion knew that the Kaldorei would be forever changed. Finally, Azshara's reckless use of magic drew the attention of Sargeras, Enemy of All Life and Lord of the Burning Legion. By opening a portal beneath the Well of Eternity, Azshara let hordes of demons into Kalimdor, and they ran rampant among the lands, striking down all who opposed them. The night elves desperately fought them back, but too many were falling to lend them aid. The Burning Legion was winning. But from the ranks of the desperate Kaldorei rose Malfurion Stormrage. Convincing his twin-brother, Illidan, to forsake the use of magic, Furion and his love, Tyrande Whisperwind, High Priestess of Elune, quickly went to seek out the demigod Cenarius, in the hopes that he might have repreive for their beleaguered people. Even with the help of Cenarius and Alexstrasza the Dragon Queen, Furion knew that his people could not stand up to the constant barrage of demonic invaders. Believing the Well of Eternity to be their gateway, Furion decided that it must be destroyed. Knowing that its destruction would render them mortal and without any magic, the night elves reluctantly agreed to storm Azshara's stronghold and bring an end to the invasion. However, Illidan, spurred by his addiction to magic and his frustrated love for Tyrande, refused to give up his power, and left their resistance to warn the high-borne. Knowing that Illidan would quickly reach them, Furion attacked immediately to retain some surprise. Azshara was prepared for them, and her chaotic magics ripped Furion's forces to shreds. But it was the sight of Tyrande falling to the hands of Azshara's guardsmen that gave Furion the strength for one final strike. Azshara's battle with Furion threw her spellcraft out of its magical alignment, and the vortex grew unstable. The portal collapsed, the temple erupted, and the world was sundered forever. However, Furion survived. Constructing crude rafts and sailing to what would become Kalimdor, Furion, Tyrande, and Cenarius agreed to lead their peoples to a new home. To their horror, however, a lake atop Mount Hyjal had become fouled by the magical energies of the Well of Eternity, which they had hoped was gone forever. But Illidan had taken a vial of the Well's waters and poured it into the lake, creating a new Well of Eternity. Furion, knowing that Illidan's addiction to magic would always be a threat to the safety of the world, imprisoned his brother in the caverns below Hyjal; the Barrow Deeps. However, with the Sundering still fresh in their minds, Furion and the night elves dared not attempt to destroy the new Well. Furion helped his people rebuild their society amongst the forests of Ashenvale surrounding Hyjal. Cenarius taught them the ways of the wood, and Furion grew considerably in power as he learned the art of the druid, and he became a great Arch-Druid, first among his people. Some years later, Alexstrasza, Ysera, and Nozdormu, the dragonlords, returned from their hiding places, and they were shocked to hear of the new Well. All of them suspected that the Burning Legion would sniff out its energies once again and find Azeroth a second time. Furion agreed, and they all decided to safeguard this Well. They created the World Tree, Nordrassil, which they pledged to use to protect the Well of Eternity and the night elves themselves. Nordrassil was linked to the Emerald Dream, Ysera's enchanted realm. Through the tree, she would slowly rebuild the world. However, to maintain the Emerald Dream, she needed consciousnesses to roam its eternal pathways. To sustain it, all the Druids agreed to sleep, despite the years they would lose, and be linked to the Emerald Dream forever. Furion and his druid kindred slept peacefully for many years until they were awakened by an attack by Dath'Remar and the high-borne survivors. He was quickly routed, but the druids refused to destroy them with so many lives already lost, so Furion decided that the high-borne were to be exiled. He then rejoined the Emerald Dream, settling into his long sleep in a Furion's Barrow Den on the Moonglade island. 10,000 years later The Third War: Eternity's End After Tyrande battled through the three enchanted keepers of the grove: Lightning Protector, Fire Protector and Ice Protector she reached the Horn of Cenarius. Furion was awakened to the sound of the Horn of Cenarius. He could sense the corruption and decay of his land, even in the Emerald Dream, and when he awoke, he summoned treants from the forest to dispose of the undead invaders who were closing on his Furion's Barrow Den. Tyrande, responsible for his awakening, told him that Archimonde had returned to Kalimdor, and he had brought the Burning Legion with him. Furion immediately knew what the warlock was after; he would assail Mount Hyjal, and attempt to drain the mystical energies of Nordrassil. Their mission was clear: they had to awaken the druids and stop Archimonde. When Furion saw the outlander races battling the undead, he thought that perhaps they would make good allies in the coming conflict. But Tyrande immediately rejected the idea, stating that they had killed Cenarius, and deserved whatever fate the undead had in store for them. This savage nature became more prevalent as they attempted to awaken the Druids of the Talon, sleeping in Druid of the Talon's Barrow Dens in Winterspring. Tyrande found a group of furbolgs, whom she had tried to help in Ashenvale, and who were now corrupted by the darkening shadow. Tyrande's forces killed them all. They fought their way through the undead, with orcs and humans fighting them at every turn, until they reached the Barrow-Dens, where Furion sounded the Horn of Cenarius. The Druids of the Talon awoke, and pledged to help Furion awaken the Druids of the Claw in the Barrow Deeps of Hyjal. Upon entering the mountainous caverns, Furion and Tyrande discovered gigantic spiders, vastly mutated by the evil corruption, even within the sanctity of Hyjal. Furion and Tyrande killed The Largest Panda Ever behind a wall of ice. Soon, they came upon a doorway that led to the halls which held Furion's treacherous brother, Illidan. Despite Furion's protests, Tyrande entered the prison to free Illidan. Furion continued on, and found that the Druids of the Claw had forgotten themselves, and had embraced their feral bear forms as opposed to their night elven forms. The Druids' minds were now identical to those of bears, bears with short tempers at that, making them impossible to reason with. But with the Horn of Cenarius, Furion broke them free of this state. Grateful to have their minds restored, the Druids of the Claw agreed to participate in the fight against the Legion. Meanwhile, Tyrande had released Illidan, hoping that he could also make a significant contribution in the war effort. Still, after all these years, Furion refused to trust Illidan for his betrayal. Illidan pointedly reminded Furion that they fought the demons together once, but Furion was adamant; he would have nothing to do with this. Illidan took a force of night elves into the corrupted forests of Felwood, and began to battle Tichondrius. Tyrande and Furion immediately rushed to reinforce Illidan, but when they arrived, Illidan was already victorious, and in the form of a monstrous demon. Illidan had consumed the Skull of Gul'dan in order to gain the power to slay Tichondrius. Furion and Tyrande both could not believe Illidan's dire choice, and Furion banished him from the forests forever. Illidan did not bother to argue with his brother, and left of his own accord. That night, Furion received a vision. A great raven came to him and told him to bring Tyrande to the base of Mount Hyjal. Curious, he did as was instructed, and they met Jaina and Thrall, the leaders of the outlander forces in Kalimdor. Tyrande rebuked them and was about to battle them when suddenly, the raven appeared, and revealed himself to be Medivh, the Last Guardian of Tirisfal. Medivh convinced the night elves to join forces with the outlanders in a last ditch effort to stop Archimonde's relentless assault. Tyrande reluctantly agreed. thumb|Furion sounding the Horn of Cenarius, while Archimonde reached the World Tree From "The Sacrifice" at Hyjal's summit, where the World Tree and the Well of Eternity rested, Furion formed a plan of attack. The defenders quickly built settlements going up the mountain, and prepared for Archimonde's ascent. Furion knew what had to be done; for the good of Azeroth, the World Tree had to be destroyed. Archimonde, aided by three of his most powerful remaining lieutenants, laid siege to Hyjal, ripping through Jaina and Thrall's bases. Finally, he came to Tyrande's settlement, and in turn, tore it to shreds, blew open the enchanted gates, and made his way to the World Tree. Tyrande and Furion watched as he approached, heedless of the Ancestral Guardians who had gathered, during the battle, at the base of the World Tree. Archimonde's victories had made him overconfident, and he was completely unaware of the trap they had set for him. When Archimonde reached the Tree, Furion sounded the Horn of Cenarius. The thousands of Ancestral Guardians, roused by nature herself, stirred from the trees and attacked Archimonde, detonating in an explosion so large it unmade Archimonde and incinerated the forests atop Hyjal. As his allies went back to their homes, Malfurion and Tyrande worked to repair the great and terrible damage done by Archimonde and his Legion. Many months passed. Nordrassil appeared to be healing well, but Felwood remained corrupted. The Betrayer and the Terror of the Tides While checking on Nordrassil one day, they were unexpectedly met by a runner from Maiev the Warden, pleading for assistance against Illidan. The former Demon Hunter had resurfaced and recruited a race of amphibious snake-people known as naga to aid him in his plans, which had come to include the attempted slaughter of Shadowsong and her troops. Malfurion immediately left with Tyrande to assist them. Malfurion brought mountain giants with him to aid in the battle, and they battled through hordes of naga to reach Maiev. When they did, she was upset with Tyrande since the priestess had killed many of Maiev's Watcher guards when she freed Illidan. Furion stopped the argument between the two women before it got out of control and advised them to set aside their personal feud until Illidan was dealt with. They battled fiercely against the naga, until they finally confronted Illidan when he captured Tyrande. But he let her go with a warning not to go after him, and fled before they could apprehend him. They followed him across the sea, and landed on the shores of Lordaeron. Troubled by the corruption of the forests, Malfurion retreated into the woods to commune with the forest spirits, but commanded Maiev and Tyrande to forget their differences for the time being in his absence during their search for Illidan. As he went into the woods, Malfurion felt the pain of the earth, and was met by benevolent spirits of the forest who granted him a vision of Northrend, which was crumbling apart due to Illidan's reckless magics with the Eye of Sargeras. Malfurion feared for the world and resolved to stop his brother. But when he found Maiev, he could not see Tyrande. Maiev sadly reported that Tyrande had fallen in battle. Infuriated, Furion led his forces against Illidan's naga, and with the help of Maiev and her new ally, Kael'thas, they defeated Illidan's forces and captured him. Furion accused Illidan of causing Tyrande's death, but Kael chimed in, saying that it was premature to assume her dead, and that she had only been swept down a river. Realizing that he had been deceived, Furion entangled Maiev and left to look for Tyrande, with Illidan volunteering his naga to scour the river. When they found Tyrande, she and a small contingent of Sentinels were desperately battling the undead. Illidan fought to get to her through the river with his naga while Furion fended off the undead attackers. Finally, they pushed through the undead forces and Illidan rescued Tyrande. When Illidan brought Tyrande back to Furion, he was grateful. He decided that Illidan had earned his freedom, but Malfurion warned his brother that if he ever disturbed the night elves again, he would not be so forgiving. Illidan agreed to those terms, and opened a mystic portal. As he retreated, Maiev caught up with them, and furiously chastised Malfurion and Tyrande for allowing Illidan to leave. In a rage, she and her Watchers followed Illidan into his portal. Tyrande tried to stop her, but Furion let her go, knowing that nothing they could say would change her mind. With a heavy sigh, Malfurion and Tyrande left to return to their own realm and people, for there was still work to be done. source www.lunarfalls.com "World of Warcraft" Story Malfurion Stormrage stands as both prophet and savior to his people. Some time after returning to Kalimdor alongside Tyrande, he learned that a number of night elves were planning to create a new World Tree in the hopes of regaining their lost immortality. Malfurion warned against it, arguing that nature would never bless such a selfish act. Shortly after that, Malfurion returned to the spirit realm known as the Emerald Dream, to replenish his powers after the events of the Second Invasion of the Burning Legion. Recently, something went wrong with Malfurion's dreamstate. Now he is trapped somewhere within the Dream, beyond even the reach of the Green Dragons who control it. In-game quests and events indicate he is fighting alongside Cenarius' spirit against The Nightmare. Whether he does not return by choice or because he has been made Unwaking by The Nightmare is unknown. What is known is that with Malfurion lost, the night elves continue to stumble blindly into darkness... With Malfurion missing, Arch Druid Fandral Staghelm took over the leadership of the druids, convincing the Circle of Ancients in Darkshore that it was time for the elves to rebuild, and that it was time for them regain their immortality. With the approval of the Circle, Staghelm and the most powerful druids grew Teldrassil, the new World Tree. ---- :Portions of this article originally adapted from Wikipedia and the WoW Game Manual. See also: Warcraft Universe. Conversation with Remulos It seems that Malfurion Stormrage still visits Azeroth from time to time to chat with old friends about momentous events. Here follows a conversation with Keeper Remulos presumably concerning the disturbing rise of the Four Dragons: :Keeper Remulos says: Malfurion! :Malfurion Stormrage says: Remulos, old friend. It is good to see you once more. I knew the message would find its way to you – one way or another. :Keeper Remulos says: It was shrouded in nightmares, Malfurion. What is happening in the Dream? What could cause such atrocities. :Malfurion Stormrage says: I fear for the worst, old friend. Within the Dream we fight a new foe, born of an ancient evil. Ysera's noble brood has fallen victim to the old whisperings. I seems as if the Nightmare has broken through the realm to find a new host on Azeroth. :Keeper Remulos says: I sensed as much, Malfurion. Dark days loom ahead. :Malfurion Stromrage says: Aye Remulos, prepare the mortal races. :Keeper Remulos says: You have been gone too long, Malfurion. Peace between the Children of Azeroth has become tenuous at best. What of my father? Of your brother? Have you any news? :Malfurion Stormrage says: Cenarius fights at my side. Illidan sits atop his throne in Outland – brooding. I'm afraid that the loss to Arthas proved to be his breaking point. Madness has embraced him, Remulos. He replays the events in his mind a thousand times per day, but in his mind, he is the victor and Arthas is utterly defeated. He is too far gone, old friend. I fear that the time may soon come that our bond is tested and it will not be as it was at the Well in Zin-Azshari. :Malfurion Stormrage says: Remulos, I am being drawn back... Tyrande... send her my love... Tell her I am safe... Tell her... Tell her I will return... Farewell... :Keeper Remulos says: Farewell, old friend... Farewell... Obviously, Malfurion is still going strong in the Dream and apparently Cenarius is as well, but we're seeing the beginnings of some of the drama that will likely unfold in the Burning Crusade. =Quotes= *"Come forth, ye defenders of old!" (To the forests, after being awakened by Tyrande to defend Ashenvale once again) *"If pride gives us pause, my love, then perhaps we have lived long enough already." (Regarding the loss of the Night Elves' powers without Nordrassil) *"Whatever happens, my love, know this: our bond is eternal." *"Andethoras-Ethil... brother." Stormrage, Malfurion Stormrage, Malfurion Stormrage, Malfurion Stormrage, Malfurion Stormrage, Malfurion